'Sesame Street' Criticized Over Muppet Whose Dad Is In Prisonhttp://www.businessinsider.com/sesame-street-criticized-puppets-with-parents-in-jail-2013-6/comments
en-usWed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 -0500Fri, 09 Dec 2016 22:26:56 -0500Kathryn Dehoyoshttp://www.businessinsider.com/c/51c321bd69bedd5e4b000008SJThu, 20 Jun 2013 11:37:33 -0400http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51c321bd69bedd5e4b000008
No, the author in Reason is aware. His reply is here: <a href="http://reason.com/blog/2013/06/17/no-i-didnt-criticize-sesame-street-for-h" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" >http://reason.com/blog/2013/06/17/no-i-didnt-criticize-sesame-street-for-h</a>http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51c0c1566bb3f76e2900000dCSMcDonaldTue, 18 Jun 2013 16:21:42 -0400http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51c0c1566bb3f76e2900000d
The author at reason is very much aware of this and this post mischaracterizes his intention in his post. He is very much in favor of the Sesame Street video and very much against the over incarceration of people in this country for consensual actions.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51c095d269beddb22a00001fLJMTue, 18 Jun 2013 13:16:02 -0400http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51c095d269beddb22a00001f
Riggs wasn't "ignoring" any issue.
<a href="http://reason.com/blog/2013/06/17/no-i-didnt-criticize-sesame-street-for-h" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" >http://reason.com/blog/2013/06/17/no-i-didnt-criticize-sesame-street-for-h</a>http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51c08829eab8ea1c6100003cjdmont_novaTue, 18 Jun 2013 12:17:45 -0400http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51c08829eab8ea1c6100003c
The link, for those who don't feel like searching: <a href="http://reason.com/blog/2013/06/17/no-i-didnt-criticize-sesame-street-for-h" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" >http://reason.com/blog/2013/06/17/no-i-didnt-criticize-sesame-street-for-h</a>http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51c086436bb3f7103d000001jdmont_novaTue, 18 Jun 2013 12:09:39 -0400http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51c086436bb3f7103d000001
Are you unaware of the problem America has with overcriminalization (i.e., so many small inane things are now illegal that no one even knows they may be breaking the law when they do, which inevitably leads to more people in jail or with criminal records) and how that's the point Riggs was making?http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51c082c269bedd820400000fjdmont_novaTue, 18 Jun 2013 11:54:42 -0400http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51c082c269bedd820400000f
Nothing's wrong with it. The author needs to think critically and improve her reading comprehension skills. Riggs was clearly making a jab at government for over-criminalizing everything. Cf. Harvey Silvergate's "Three Felonies A Day."http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51c0640769beddc74300000bTonioTue, 18 Jun 2013 09:43:35 -0400http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51c0640769beddc74300000b
Dehoyos completely misinterprets the Reason article she references. Mike Riggs posted a rebuttal piece on Reason on 6/17.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51c05e22eab8ea360f000013TJ NeillTue, 18 Jun 2013 09:18:26 -0400http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51c05e22eab8ea360f000013
Reason's comment was lamenting the incarceration rate in this country. You might want to check out Rigg's quote in context. Apparently Dehoyos didn't bother.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51c0061b69bedd176600004eFrancine de las AlasTue, 18 Jun 2013 03:02:51 -0400http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51c0061b69bedd176600004e
Apparently, the critics have had an easy life than these children. They apparently do not know and have the same ordeal of these kids. Sesame Street took an initiative, they are not condoning the adult who has done criminal acts That is obviously not the point of the campaign. The campaign is for the children, for their emotional well being. In a country such as America, Self help and other support system are available everywhere and even at arms reach. and yet, the so called adults still do not make time or make any effort to transform themselves to better persons and or better parent. Clearly, it isn't lack of support for the issues of these "parents". The adults do not want and children therefore suffer the consequences of their weaknesses or unwillingness. If it is becoming the "norm", why then wont an organization that is pro healthy welfare and well being of children take the lead. Sesame Street is actually trying to tell us that it is not normal to have a life like this, and as such teaches compassion and perhaps even consequential thinking and genuine understanding and patience for the world and mankind. Something that we all could use today.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51c00602ecad04413600001aSuthenboyTue, 18 Jun 2013 03:02:26 -0400http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51c00602ecad04413600001a
Kathryn, exactly how does Riggs miss the point? Either you did not read Rigg's article or you deliberately misrepresented it. No sane or honest person could read his article and draw the conclusion you did.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51bfcf0beab8eae86b000009Byte MeMon, 17 Jun 2013 23:07:55 -0400http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51bfcf0beab8eae86b000009
I'm still scratching my head over the creation this particular muppet and its message. Sesame Street does good covering social injustices, touching on such topics as single parenting, interracial and gay marriage and I applaud them for it. Having a muppet who's dad is incarcerated does not fall into that narrative. If it did, why then not have a muppet who's mother is a prostitute or an older teenage sister who is pregnant? There are plenty of real world examples of that. My point is, What really is the value add and where do you draw the line?http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51bfb02f69bedd832f000029Sam GroveMon, 17 Jun 2013 20:56:15 -0400http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51bfb02f69bedd832f000029
You might reread the Reason article then show where Mike Riggs has made any criticism of Sesame Street. I read the article and I didn't see any criticism aimed at Sesame Street.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51bf8e626bb3f79068000015TonioMon, 17 Jun 2013 18:32:02 -0400http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51bf8e626bb3f79068000015
No, Ms. Dehoyos, Mike Riggs did not miss the point that the children of the incarcerated have no control over their parents' circumstances. Sounds like you skimmed the article, made bad assumptions, and made no effort to engage Mr. Riggs' point. There's a nice takedown of Dehoyos' article up at Reason today for anyone who wants to dig deeper.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51bf85276bb3f7e250000015adam330Mon, 17 Jun 2013 17:52:39 -0400http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51bf85276bb3f7e250000015
Go read the original Reason post and you'll see that the author of this piece complete misrepresents what he actually wrote.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51bf82a66bb3f7984e000017tarranMon, 17 Jun 2013 17:41:58 -0400http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51bf82a66bb3f7984e000017
Mike Riggs on Reason magazine is assuredly aware of it. Had Kathryn bothered to do the most cursory review of his writing on Reason Magazine, she would recognize that.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51bf7affeab8eab93d000014WTH?Mon, 17 Jun 2013 17:09:19 -0400http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51bf7affeab8eab93d000014
Why don't you read his response? Needless to say he is rather pissed off. I would be too if a sorry excuse for a journalist threw an unjust strawman at me:
<a href="http://reason.com/blog/2013/06/17/no-i-didnt-criticize-sesame-street-for-h" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" >http://reason.com/blog/2013/06/17/no-i-didnt-criticize-sesame-street-for-h</a>http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51bf7a4cecad041a32000018jhdunningMon, 17 Jun 2013 17:06:20 -0400http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51bf7a4cecad041a32000018
Uh, that's not what Riggs said. DeHoyos clearly knows what Riggs is writing about, but seems to want to inject her opinion into the critique by saying, "the point he seems to be missing is that the children of those people who have gone to prison have no control over their circumstances." But he never says anything that supports that. He writes about government policies -- it seems pretty obvious what his only point is.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51bf7510ecad044025000019McdankenMon, 17 Jun 2013 16:44:00 -0400http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51bf7510ecad044025000019
I fully agree but that doesn't negate the fact that drug laws are inherently wrong, at least in their current state. By normalizing the current police state (which mainly consists of non violent drug offenders), you are validating our current way of addressing these types of "crimes." Why raise children on the notion that the only way to deal with a social ill is by locking it in a cage? It's just displacing the issue and further burdening the community instead of solving it.
In no way do I condone parents being drug users/abusers, but I don't think we should propagate ideas to future generations that validate our current system of handling social issues.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51bf6b676bb3f7f22200001bdepressionMon, 17 Jun 2013 16:02:47 -0400http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51bf6b676bb3f7f22200001b
i see people going on about drug laws here ............
When your a parent , you need to stop doing drugs , or selling drugs ... to basically stay away from actions which could cause you to be taken away from your child ... Being a parent is less about you and more about what's best for your child .http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51bf5d616bb3f7f30a00000ecitizen1Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:02:57 -0400http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51bf5d616bb3f7f30a00000e
I think that the vast majority of persons in prison were exposed to the Sesame Street show while they grew up.
Maybe Sesame Street didn't do such a great job, if any at all, then.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51bf5ca5eab8eada09000003Truth HurtsMon, 17 Jun 2013 14:59:49 -0400http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51bf5ca5eab8eada09000003
The are more children with parents in prison than there are gays and Sesame Street has made being gay considered normal.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51bf58a5eab8ea1a7d000019McDankensMon, 17 Jun 2013 14:42:45 -0400http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51bf58a5eab8ea1a7d000019
Normalizing the police state.
More often than not, those parents who are in jail are in there due to a drug crime. Instead of teaching kids how to "cope" with a parent in prison, why not teach kids to question the validity of these laws that caused their parents to be where they are at? Or, in the case of people being locked for crimes that are valid in the eyes of the public(such as theft or assault), why not teach kids the circumstances that leads individuals to commit these crimes? Why not address social ills and ways to improve the community so that crime is not a normal thing? Let's teach kids that lack of economic freedom and the lack social mobility is a major factor in crime. Let's raise children to question the validity of laws that are negatively effecting our community, such as drug laws.
Instead we have the producers of Sesame Street normalizing a social ill and teaching them to cope and accept the issue, rather than teaching them to solve the issue.
Then again it's Sesame Street, so that might be something beyond what you can teach a child. I don't feel it's appropriate to make the current police state seem acceptable or normal to children though. I feel as if it's teaching children to passively accept laws that may or may not be just, as well ignoring the issues that lead to an individual to commit a crime.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51bf5611ecad043f73000001DerpaMon, 17 Jun 2013 14:31:45 -0400http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51bf5611ecad043f73000001
Or in other words, he's not criticizing the program, he's criticizing the fact that there is a need for it.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51bf55d5eab8ea9675000030DerpaMon, 17 Jun 2013 14:30:45 -0400http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51bf55d5eab8ea9675000030
I'm sure the author in Reason is aware of the difference. I bet if you asked him he would say something along the lines of: the fact that an imprisoned parent is now so commonplace is a direct result of overincarceration of American citizens due to the failed war on drugs.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51bf550469bedd9b6e000005quadsMon, 17 Jun 2013 14:27:16 -0400http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51bf550469bedd9b6e000005
Criticized? Over WHAT? The FACTS? Truth hurts doesn't it!
Wake the fvck up America. Don't like it? Keep your ass out of jail.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51bf5502ecad04e36e000014mustafajabrilMon, 17 Jun 2013 14:27:14 -0400http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51bf5502ecad04e36e000014
These kids with fathers in jail don't watch Sesame Street. They watch Scarface and Pulp Fiction.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51bf538f69bedd7b69000015eilonwyMon, 17 Jun 2013 14:21:03 -0400http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51bf538f69bedd7b69000015
Is the author in Reason perhaps unaware of the difference between "treating X as a problem that a human in your vicinity might have" and "praising X as a good thing"?http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51bf514becad046c68000008floridiotMon, 17 Jun 2013 14:11:23 -0400http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51bf514becad046c68000008
Stupid ghetto kids picked the wrong parents.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51bf50156bb3f7417100001bbadbobMon, 17 Jun 2013 14:06:13 -0400http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51bf50156bb3f7417100001b
What do you mean "almost normal"??? It's totally normal. Hell, everything in America is illegal these days. America has the highest total number of people in prison than anywhere else in the world. What's wrong with teaching kids about something that is likely to happen to them? The only problem with it is that it's about incarcerated parents or relatives. They also need to be taught what will happen to them when they are incarcerated themselves. We are now putting kids as young a 8 in prison for ridiculous reasons.http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51bf4ed7eab8ea5f67000025GregMon, 17 Jun 2013 14:00:55 -0400http://www.businessinsider.com/c/51bf4ed7eab8ea5f67000025
Yeah let's criticize the producers of Sesame Street for reminding us that jailing 3% of your population, mostly for ingesting plants and chemicals to feel good or selling said chemicals to voluntary buyers, adversely effects lots of innocent people including the children of these awful "criminals". Land of the free!